Smelting-furnace.



No. 824,383. PATENTED JUNE 26, 1906. J. D. RIVARD.

SMELTING FURNAGE.

APPLICATION FILED Dnc. 2, 1904.

l i l JOHN D. RIVARD, OF LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA..

SIVIELTING-FURNAC'E.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented J une 26, 1906'.

Application led December 2, 1904. Serial No. 235.245.

To all whom it may concern,.-

Be it known that I, JOHN D. RIVARD, a citizen of the United States, residing at Los Angeles, in the county of Los Angeles, State of Cailfornia, have invented new and useful Improvements in Smelting Furnaces, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to a smelting-furnace in which the heat is produced by means of hydrocarb on liquid fuel and the obj ectthereof is to produce a smelting-furnace which is continuous in operation and of simple construction and economical in operation; and a particular object is to produce a smeltingfurnace in Which iron ore may be smelted and produce a commercial article of pig-iron without further treatment. I accomplish this obj ect by means of the furnace described herein, and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in Which- Figure 1 is a plan view, partly in section. Fig. 2 is a longitudinal vertical section. Fig. 3 is a cross-section on the line 3 3 of Fig. 1. Fig. 4 is a cross-section on the line 4 4 of Fig. 1 looking toward the stack.

The walls, floors, or bottoms and other parts of my furnace may all be constructed of such material as is known to be practical for such purposes.

In the front end of the furnace-and by front end I mean the end opposite the stack-is the combustion-chamber 5, into which projects the liquid-hydrocarbon burners 6, of any desired make. Of these burners there may be any desired number but I prefer to use three of such burners, one projecting through the front Wall of the furnace and two through the side walls at an angle, as shown in Fig. 1. The throat 7 of the combustion-chamber is adjacent to the front wall 8, as best shown in Fig. 2, and opens into the higher end of the smelting-chamber. The roof 9 of the combustion-chamber is= slightly arched, as shown in Fig. 4, and is on an upward slant toward the throat, as shown 1n Fig. 2. Extending vertically and centrally in the rear portion of the combustion-cham ber is the baffle-wall 10, which is preferably formed of checker-work and may be made of fire-brick or other suitable material. The upper'portion of vthis baille-wall preferably extends to the throat, while the bottom portion only extends a short distance from the rear wall toward the front. The purpose of this wall is to enable me to use si e burners in the combustion-chamber and to baffle the combustible gases and cause their impingement upon this wall and also upon the back Wall and side Walls of the combustion-chamber,.which causes them to deposit on such Walls a large portion ofthe objectionable carbon developed in the use of liquidhydrocarbon fuel When used for smelting iron ore. In the side Wall 11 of the combustion-chamber is a door 12, Whichprovides means to remove this carbon from the combustionchamber when desired. In the back wall 13 of the combustion-chamber is an. L-sha ed air-flue 14, the inlet of which is provi ed with a damper 15 to regulate the quantity of air that may be admitted therethrough into the combustion-chamber, as shown in Fig. 2 and by dotted lines in Fig. 1. The inner end of this air-flue opens on both sides of the baffle-walls, so that bothsides thereof may be sup lied With the necessary amount of air to pro uce the best combustion in the chamber. The top wall 16 of the furnace slants downwardly to its junction with the stack 17, and below the top wall is a downwardly-extending chamber 18 for the passage of the products of combustion therethrough and into the crucible 19, which is provided With an outlet 20, through which the slag may be drawn off, and with an o ening 21 in the bottom thereof, through w 'ch the metal may -be drawn off, said openings being closed in the usual manner by plugs 22 and 23. In the top wall of the furnace and opening into chamber 18 is feed-hopper 24, which receives the ulverized ore which. is to be smelted. T 's hopper is preferably conical in shape, with the base at the top, as best shown in Fig. 2, and is provided with a removable cover 25. The conical shape of the feedehop er permits the ore to ass therefrom and) rest upon the top of t e combustion-chamber in a cone-shaped mass, directly in the center of chamber 18,. where it is'subjected to the action of the products of combustion as they pass downwardly therethrough, space being left on each side of the ore, which subjects the ore to the necessary amount of heat to roast the same. At the same time the opening into the feed-hopper is closed by the ore that is contained therein, and before the ore is rabbled the feed-hopper can be filled With a fresh supply.

A rabble-hole 26 is provided in the front 'wall ofthe furnace, opening into the end of .chamber 18, as shown in Fig. 2, to permit of the ore being rabbled. This opening is closed IOO IIO

by a door 27. Just at the rear of the cornbustion-chamber the chamber 18 is enlarged to form what I term a smelting-chamber 28. At the commencement of this smeltingchamber and opening thereinto is the carbonmonoxid feed-hopper 29, into which is fed any suitable material which will unite with the gases coming from the combustion-chainber to still further exhaust from said gases such carbon as has not been deposited in the combustion-chamber. Coal-dust, and pulverized coke I have found to be very suitable materials for that purpose.` This carbonmonoxid feed-hopper is preferably conical in sha e for the same reason as the feed-hopper, an' the material which is deposited upon the bottom wall of chamber 19 can be rabbled when desired in the same manner as the ore and through the same door. In the top wall of chamber 18 is a chamber 30, which I term a reheating-chamber. This chamber is connected by pipe 30 with the blower 31, which blower is connected by pipe 32 with the stack. This reheating-chamber is provided with 'a plurality of outlets 33, which open into chamber' 18. Along the sides of the chamber 18 are small baffle-walls 34, which slightly retard the passage of the products of combustion and, together with the action of the gas passing from the reheatingchamber, cause theproduces of combustion to assume a wavy motion as they pass along. If desired, these side baffle-walls can be omitted; but I prefer their use on account of the assistance which they give in producing the wavy motion to the products of combustion as they pass through chamber 18, said motion being found desirable. The crucible is inclosed by the walls of a directing-chamber 37 in the bottom of the stack. In the bottom of the side walls of the directingchamber are ports 88, which open into the bottom of the stack.

In the operation of my furnace the feedhopper is first filled with pulverized ore and the monoXid hopper is filled with suitable material to produce carbon monoXid. Liquid hydrocarbon fuel with the necessary steam or air to atomize the same, furnished from a supply not shown, is fed into the combustionchamber andignited. The damper of the air-flue is regulated to supply the combustion-chamber 'with the necessary amount of air. Power is applied to operate the blower. As soon as the ore which has lodged in chamber 18 has been properly roasted it is rabbled .downwardly into the smeltingchamber,

which by this time has been thoroughly heated and a new supply of ore is permitted to fall from the feed-hopper upon the bottom wall of chamber 18, which is likewise rabbled after it has been roasted. As the ore passes downwardly in chamber 18 the products of combustion are driven against the same by theaction of the blower and before the ore reaches the bottom or outlet of the smeltingchamber it is in a thoroughly liquid state. It will also be seen that the products of combustion also pass downwardly into the crucible and then upwardly over the side walls thereof and then downwardly through the ports in the side walls ofthe directing-chamber where they escape into the stack, thereby keeping the crucible in a thoroughly-heated condition so that there is no possibility of the melted metal freezing in the same. As the products of combustion impinge upon the surface of the molten ore in the crucible, they have a tendency to better cause the separation of the metal from the slag. From time to time as required the feed-hopper and the carbonmonoXid hopper are replenished and the slag and metal drawn off, thereby rendering the operation of the furnace continuous.

Having described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. In a smelting-furnace an inclined chamber means to supply the products of cornbustion into the higher end thereof; means to feed ore into the higher end of said chamber; and means to supply blasts of downwardlydirected hot gas into said inclined chamber.

2. In a smelting-furnace an inclined chamber; means to supply products of combustion into the higher end thereof; means to feed ore into said higher end of said inclined chamber; means to feed a material to produce a carbon monoXid in said chamber below the ore-feed; and means to supply downwardlydirected hot blasts of gas in said inclined chamber. p

8. In a smelting-furnace an inclined chamber; a stack at the bottom thereof into which said inclined chamber opens; means to feed ore into the top portion of said inclined chamber, means to supply heated blastsvof gas directed toward the bottom of said inclined chamber; a combustion-chamber below the higher end of said inclined chamber and communicating with said higher end 3 and injector-burners in said combustion-chamber.

' 4. In a smelting-furnace an inclined chamber; a combustion-chamber below the higher end of said inclined chamber and having the throat thereof openinginto the higher end of said inclined chamber 5 means to supply ore into the higher end of said inclined chamber; a stack at the lower end of said inclined charnber, a crucible in the bottom of said stack; and means to supply downwardly-directed blasts of hot gas into said inclined chamber upon the ore passing therethrough.

5. In a smelting-furnace an inclined chamber, a combustion-chamber below the higher end of said chamber and having a throat thereof opening into the higher end of said chamber g means to supply ore into the higher end of said inclined chamber 5 a stack at the lower end of said inclined chamber; a cruci- ICO IIO

ble in the bottom of said stack; a covering for said Crucible means to supply material to produce va carbon monoxid between the ore- 1iced and the stack into said inclined cham- 6.' In a smelting-furnace aninclined chamber, a combustion-chamber below the higher end of said inclined chamber and having the throat thereof opening into the upper end of said inclined chamber; means to supply ore into the upper end of 'said inclined chamber; a stack at the lower end of said inclined chamber; a directing-chamber in the bottom of said stack, said directing chamber having ports in the bottom of the side walls thereof opening into the stack; a crucible in said directing chamber; a reheating chamber in the top wall of said inclined chamber having a plurality of ports establishing communication betweensaid chambers; a blower; a pipe connecting said reheating-chamber with said blower; and a pipe connecting said blower with said stack.

7. In a smelting-furnace an inclined chamber; a combustion-chamber below the higher end o f said inclined chamber and having the throat thereof opening into the higher end of said inclined chamber; means to supply ore' into the higher end of said inclined chamber; a stack at the lower end of said inclined chamber; a directing-chamber in the bottom of said stack, said directing-chamber having ports in the bottom of the side walls thereof opening into the stack; a crucible in said directing-chamber; a reheating-chamber in the top wall of said inclined chamber having a plurality of ports establishing communication between said chambers; a blower; a pipe connecting said reheating-chamber with said blower; a pipe connecting said blower with said stack; and means to supply material to produce a carbon monoXid into said inclined chamber between the ore-feed and stack.

8. In a smelting-furnace an inclined chamber; a combustion-chamber below the higher end of said inclined chamber and communicating therewith at the higher end of said inclined chamber; a centrally-disposed bafflewall in the rear portion of said combustionchamber; means to supply liquid hydrocarbon fuel into said combustion-chamber; a stack at the lower end of said inclined chamber; means to feed ore into the higher end of said inclined chamber; and a crucible within said stack into which said inclined chamber opens.

9. In a smelting-furnace an inclined chamber; a combustion-chamber below the higher end of said inclined chamber and communicating with said higher end; a centrally-disposed checker-work baffle-wall in the rear portion of said combustion-chamber; means to supply liquid hydrocarbon fuel into said combustion-chamber; means to supply air into the rear portion of said combustionchamber on each side of said baffle-wall; a stack at .the lower end of said inclined chamber; means to feed ore into the higher yend of said inclined chamber; .a .directing-chamberinthe bottom of said stack and having ports through the `side walls thereof at y the bottom opening into said stack a crucible Within said directing-chamber; and means to feed material to produce a carbon monoXid into said inclined chamber between the stack and the ore-feed.

10. In a smelting-furnace an inclined chamber; a combustion-chamber below the higher end of said inclined chamber and communicating with said higher end; a centrally-disposed checker-work baiiie-wall in the rear portion of said combustion-chamber; means to supply liquid' hydrocarbon fuel into said combustionchamber; means to supply air into the rear portion of said combustionchamber on each side of said baffle-wall; a stack at the lower end of said inclined chamber; means to feed ore into the higher end of said inclined chamber means to feed material to producecarbon monoXid into said inclined chamber between the stack and the ore feed; means to supply a plurality of blasts of gas upon the ore passing through said inclined chamber; a directing-chamber in the bottom of said stack, said directing-chamber having ports in the Vbottom of the side walls thereof opening into the stack; and a crucible in said directing-chamber.

1 l. In a smelting-furnace an inclined chamber; a combustion-chamber below the higher end of said inclined chamber and communicating with said higher end of said inclined chamber; a centrally-disposed checker-work` IOO baiile-wall in the rear portion of said combustion-chamber; means to feed ore into thehigher end of said inclined chamber; means to feed a material to produce a carbon monoXid into said inclined chamber below the ore-feed a reheating-ohamber in the top wall of said inclined chamber and having a plurality of ports establishing communication between said chambers; a blower; a pipe connecting said blower with said reheating-chamber; a stack at the lower end of said inclined chamber; a directing-chamber in said stack, said chamber having ports in the bottom of side walls thereof opening intov said stack; a pipe connecting said stack with said blower; and a crucible within said directing-chamber.

12. In a smelting-furnace an inclined chamber; a stack at the bottom thereof into which said inclined chamber opens; a crucible in the bottom of said stack; a directing-chamber extending over said crucible into which said inclined chamber opens, said directing-chamber having ports in the side walls thereof 13o IIO near the bottom of the crucble, and there hereunto subscribed rny name thisV 26th day bepg a polissage betweendthe wtllsofthe crulof November, 1904. ci eand etweent esi ewa so t estac whereby the products of combustion are .JOHN D' RIVARD' 5 compelled to pass downwardly at the sides of Witnesses:

the crucble on their passage to the stack. G. E. HARPH'AM,

In witness that I claim the foregoing Ihave EDMUND A. .STRAUSE- 

